It's a terrible admission but I very rarely read novels. In fact, the last one I read cover to cover was Ann Widdecombe's ACT OF TREACHERY about three years ago. However, one of the guests I regularly invite on to my 18 Doughty Street show is the journalist and novelist Dave Hill, who also writes an excellent blog called Temperama. He's written several best selling novels, and in a rash moment before Christmas I told him I'd read his latest tome called THE ADOPTION. Well, true to my word, I've just finished it.

Now I hope he won't take this the wrong way, but THE ADOPTION is a book which could have been written by Ann Widdecombe. It's similar in content, style and tone to Ann's novels. It revolves around familial relationships and the traumas sudden changes bring to an established family environment. Jane and Darren have three children, but at the age of 44 Jane can't conceive. They decide to adopt and three year old Jody is brought into the family. Jody's mother was an alcoholic and couldn't cope with her. She's a withdrawn child who barely speaks at first.

 

The book tells the story of how Darren and Jane envelop her with love and how their other three children react to the new situation. Jane is a woman with many insecurities, while Darren is a man who seems to let little trouble him. He provides the stability Jane craves, but at the same time it annoys her. They seek counselling to help their own relationship and their difficulties with their new child.

 

The story ends with a visit from Jane to Jody's birth mother Ashleigh. Their conversation gives Jane closure and enables her finally to feel that Jody is truly hers.

 

I have to say I rather enjoyed the book. As with Ann Widdecombe's ACT OF TREACHERY I hadn't expect to. I like to read about real lives rather than fictional ones. My fiction normally only extends to novels with political plots or the horror works of James Herbert - now there's an admission...

 

My only slight issue with the book was some of the dialogue, which jarred a bit. The conversation between Darren and Jane seemed to be dialogue which made them sound totally unlike a couple who had been together for the best part of 20 years and were deeply in love. At times they sounded more like acquaintances. Too many sentences were laced with each other's names - something in my experience just doesn't happen in private conversations between people as close as Darren and Jane were meant to be. But it's a very small quibble.

 

All in all I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it to you. You can buy THE ADOPTION for £5.59 HERE.